Strategic Advisors Survey Insights

August 11, 2011

Being a Strategic Advisor
Be more, do less

Summary of Survey Results

Liz Guthridge

What we’re covering

What?
– Being a Strategic Advisor survey
• The purpose
• The results
So what?
– Implications and insights
Now what?
– Fall 2011 Strategic Action Group
For more info: liz.guthridge@connectconsultinggroup.com

2 © Connect Consulting Group LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Purpose of survey

Understand and start to close the gap
The support
we get isn’t
that
?
effective..
Strategic
Communication
Leaders Advisors

Meet goals Provide value
Become more valued Build credibility and trust
Build a legacy Become indispensible


Gap: what leaders want vs. get

“You want your communications staff to be
stronger than you’ve been willing to deal
with in the past: more experienced, higher
quality thinking process, being able to see
around the corners, broader experience
base. All those things.”
“The Authentic Enterprise”
from Arthur W. Page Society, 2007



Internal Communication

Importance of effective internal
95%
communication

Effective delivery of internal 22%
communication

Deloitte & Touche Human Capital Survey of CEOs – which HR issues are important to the
success of the business


“Obviously, if you have someone who is
relatively inexperienced in business and is
simply a communications / PR expert, that
doesn’t work.”

“The Authentic Enterprise”
from Arthur W. Page Society, 2007


About the survey

What do strategic • Online survey
communication conducted by
advisors say about Connect Consulting
themselves?
• Survey administered
736 write-in
Questions: comments July 8 – Aug. 4, 2011
• 7 quantitative
• 7 qualitative • 113 respondents &
• 8 demographic 39 partial responses
with 929 visits


What strategic communication advisors say

About leaders:
• Don't know what they want or aren’t clear on what they want.
• Don’t make the time.
• Have competing priorities.
• Fail to communicate their needs.
• Unwilling to recognize their need for strategic communication advisors.
• Think they can do it on their own.
• Believe that communications is magic!
• (Senior leaders) are very status conscious and don't welcome challenge and
advice from more junior communicators.
• Leaders egos/refusal to really listen to strategic counsel and survey results.
• Resist change, along with the organization.
• Don’t understand the ROI.

What strategic communication advisors say

About communication advisors:
• Fail to understand company goals.
• Not familiar with the business.
• Have poor consulting skills, business acumen and inadequate political skills.
• Don’t have strong dedicated communications leadership.
• Not willing to push back or offer alternative solutions.
• Have rigid, boilerplate thinking.
• Lack a systematic approach to advising.
• Don’t always understand what makes communication strategic versus tactical,
so they're not equipped to give senior leaders what they want.
• (Inexperienced team members) focus on low hanging fruit and don’t challenge
for improvement.
• Lack of time.


About the respondents
Advising leaders
Number of years Percentage of time
20+ years 10-20 years 100% 75%-99%
5 -10 years 2-5 years About 75% 51% - 74%
< 2 years About 50% 25% - 40%
11% - 24% Up to 10%

2%
7% 14% 6%
22% 10%
20% 7%
29% 12%
19% 32%
21%



Number of leaders Organization
supported • 46% publicly-held
>10 6 to 10 4 to 5 2 to 3 1 Other companies
• 15% privately-held
• <10% all other types
8% 6% 12%

22%
Department/area
25%
• 35% corporate
communications
28%
• 25% internal
communications
• < 10% all other



Feelings about role How got into role
Love it Like it Neutral Dislike it
67%

2%
25% 29% 28%
20%
48% 15%

31%


About the respondents: Profiles
“I love my role!” 50%+ time in role career choice

 
48% 33% 28%

Absolute advisors

Accidental advisors ?%


What respondents do
Advising top leaders
Active Supporting Marginal Don't Support

"Love my role!" 54% 33% 10% 3%

Career choice 58% 29% 13%

50% or more time 68% 27% 2% 3%

All 49% 30% 11% 10%


What respondents do
Advising business unit heads/functional leaders

"Love my role!" 69% 23% 6% 2%

Career choice 74% 19% 3% 3%

50% or more time 73% 19% 1%

All 64% 29% 4% 2%


What respondents do
Advising all other people leaders

"Love my role!" 46% 44% 6% 4%

Career choice 61% 23% 3% 6%

50% or more time 49% 41% 10%

All 44% 41% 13% 2%


What respondents do
No notable differences
Top 5 types of communication support by advisor profile

Providing support 86%

Serving as strategist 81%

Coaching 71%

Educating 65%

Serving as change agent 63%


What respondents do

Top 5 tasks
Absolute advisors do
Developing more:
84%
messages 1. Help build credibility and
trust
Identifying issues 75%
2. Anticipate needs
Enabling 2-way 74%
3. Measure leadership
communication
Serving as
effectiveness
72%
sounding board 4. Facilitate meetings
Helping build 5. Help find authentic voice
70%
relationships


What respondents do
Measurement techniques Absolute advisors
Informal feedback 81% measure their work more
Surveys 59% 70% by “50%+ time” advisors

Performance results 50%
Measurement of
particular projects 47%
Performance goals 40% 60% by “Love my role!” advisors

360 degree 16%
Other 5%
Don't measure 8%

What barriers respondents encounter
Barriers
Leaders' lack of time 65%

Leaders' lack of interest 44%

Advisors' lack of time 29%
38%

Gatekeepers limit access 16%
28%
“Career” advisors
16% by “Career!” advisors
Advisors' inexperience 6% break through
17%
barriers better in
Leaders use of other advisors 16%
4 areas

Other 14%

No barriers 10%
7%


Biggest obstacles & challenges faced

Lack of time Sample
from 50%+
– Time pressures
– Lack of time due to non-value added work and
conflicting deadlines.
Lack of focus on part of senior leaders on
strategic communication.
Lack of respect for the value of strategic
communication.
The patients don't always know they're sick,
and if they do, they take advice from quacks.

Biggest obstacles & challenges faced

Sample
from 50%+

Aligning leadership to one communication
strategy and one voice.
Balance between coaching/counseling
and tactical delivery.
Volume of work because of change
management responsibilities.
Prioritizing while drinking from a fire hose.

Rating of professional development

Very effective Ineffective Not doing
On the job training (30%) Coaching from your Coaching (65%)
manager (14%)
Mentoring (26%) Mentoring (8%) Teleclasses (62%)
Informal networking On-the-job training (6%) Online courses (51%)
(29%)
Self-study (23%) Professional Classroom/seminar
associations (7%) instruction (51%)

Mastermind groups Webinars (5%) Mastermind groups
(21%) (50%)


Professional development: differences

37%
Mentoring
29%
20%
26%

26% 50%+
19% "Love it"
Coaching
13% Career
15% All

34%
Mastermind groups
26%
25%
21%


Professional development: differences

30%
30%
Self-study
31%
23%

50% 50%+
42% "Love it"
Informal networking
33% Career
29% All

46%
36%
On-the-job training
31%
30%


Key professional development topics

Top Middle Bottom

s
Influence (63%) Identifying and refining
your personal brand (48%)
Confidence (35%)

Eliminating non-value Speaking truth to power Time management
add work (62%) (47%) (31%)
Strategic thinking (59%) Adding value (43%) Facilitating (30%)
Improving impact and Coaching (42%) Presentation skills
results (56%) (30%)
Improving executive Measurement (42%) Body language acumen
presence (52%) (21%)
Building relationships • Business acumen (41%) Meeting design (17%)
(51%) • Emotional intelligence
(41%)


Key topics: differences

69%
69%
Eliminating non-value add work
65%
62%

64% 50%+
56% "Love it"
Strategic thinking
55% Career
59% All

47%
40%
Coaching
42%
42%


Key topics: differences

39%
44%
Measurement
48%
42% 50%+
"Love it"
Career
39% All
46%
Business acumen
52%
41%


Strategic advisors’ suggestions for others

Listen. Open your mind and roll up your sleeves. Get close to
business.

Learn how to say no. Skip the non-value-add administrative work so
you can focus on the strategic work that really matters.

Build a relationship with the executive. The better you know him/her
(and vice versa), the more likely you will be able to offer honest
coaching.

Be bold; don't be afraid to take risks.

Understand the disciplines (engineering, finance, manufacturing,
operations) that power your organization and organize solutions that
use the same kind of thinking and measurement.


Strategic advisors’ suggestions for others

Ensure everything you do has a well-crafted, strategic purpose and
plan with measurable goals. And, be sure to measure and
communicate results to the leaders!
Talk business rather than communication. Show how
communication will help leaders achieve their business goals and
be more successful.
Don't shy away from being a truth teller.
Put yourself in the executive’s shoes. Understand what they really
need to be successful in their role.
Find a coach and/or mentor. Seek opportunities to learn with a
small group of peers.
Talk less.

So what?

3 differences in absolute advisors
More
measurement

More social More committed
1.Focusing on relationships.
2.Helping build credibility and
to personal
trust and find authentic learning &
voice.
3.Anticipating needs.
development
4.Facilitating meetings.

So what?

Get over the table!
Time is a barrier, yet …
Think leverage!

Value of:
• Clarity of distance
• Data that drives
decisions
• Impact of leaders

Now what? Strategic Action Group

Join a unique mastermind community
1. Network with peers

2. Get ideas, insights,
suggestions

3. Experience being more,
doing less


• Small, selective Get • Learn and practice
group (12 people how to be more:
max with only 1 • Short lectures • Influential
per organization) • Problem-solving • Strategic
• Virtual sessions with real
issues • Effective
• Group discussion
Network Be
5 sessions by phone:
Sept. 16, 30
Oct. 14, 28
Nov. 11


2. What’s my
1. Private online
style?
discussion forum
assessment

3. Tools, 4. Online archive,
templates, including + 7th bonus
exercises recordings of calls another 60
minute 1:1
coaching if
sign up by
5. 60-minute 1:1 6. Personal action 8/16
coaching session plan


More information and to apply:
http://connectconsultinggroup.com/strategicaction/

Background about Liz and Connect:
http://connectconsultinggroup.com
“Communications has never been in a better position to
make a positive impact on a company. We must be a
business leader, not only a communications professional.
Price: $875
I report to the CEO which helps, but no matter where you
are in the organization, be aggressive with respect and
make a difference. When leaders see you doing that,
they will flock to you.” –Survey respondent


Now what?

Changing role: Be more, do less
Curator
Coach
Educator

Red Booths by John Register, Modernism Gallery

Be bold… Be brief… Be indispensible


Strategic Advisors Survey Insights

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